‘’Will you marry her?’’- asked that gentleman.
‘’No
sir. I am already married’’,
replied that man.
No, this is not a scene straight out of any Bollywood or Kollywood movie. This conversation happened just last week and
(hold your breath!) it happened in a place where people go for justice. And the
person who asked that question is the ‘chief’ in that place.
Here is the background story. A man repeatedly raped
a minor girl some years ago. He was arrested (not sure if he was let out one
bail later, because in our country bail is the rule and jail is an exception
for the privileged while the converse is true for common man(and woman). The
aforementioned conversation happened after the hearing was over and before the
judgement was passed.
What is most appalling is the ‘sensitivity’ of the
chief, a person holding a very high position- and therefore one who is expected
to set an example – trying to pardon the criminal by marrying him off to the
girl he once abused, without even bothering to check with the girl.
A girl or a woman should marry the man who
had intercourse with her, with or without her consent.
Patriarchal,
ultra-conservative and most importantly nauseous..
I am reminded of a tamizh movie which came out in the ‘80s, in which the ‘hero’ rapes a bride(no, not his bride-to-be) on
the eve of the wedding and the girl doing ‘satyagraha’(wow!)
in front of his house and finally marrying him! To top it all, the movie was
titled ‘New Path’ and it was a
super-duper hit. It is also not uncommon to see the great tamizh cinema heroes’ sisters getting raped by villains(or their
sons) and the ‘heroes’ taking a vow to marry them off to the person(s) who
indulged in that crime!
Whether one likes it or not, patriarchy is ingrained
in our system. There are two different sets of ‘do’s and dont’s’ for a man and
for a woman. If a man achieves something, accolades pour in. If a woman
achieves something, accolades pour in no doubt but with a tail- despite being a
woman, she achieved this.
There are many tales too right from our mythologies.
One such example is Renuka Devi, the
wife of Rishi Jamadagni. Considered
to be a ‘pativrata’, she serves her
husband meeting all his needs. One day, when she goes to a pond to collect
water for her husband’s morning puja,
she sees a shadow of a gandharva who
flies above her. For a moment, she thinks, ‘how
handsome!’. The Muni comes to
know of this because of his ‘yogic powers’ and immediately asks his son Parashurama to behead her. The son
obliges and after she dies, requests his father to bring her back to life. The Rishi brings her back to life and the pativrata falls at his feet seeking
forgiveness. She then becomes a Goddess herself and is still worshipped by
people!
At the same time, there are stories of rishis marrying twice or even ‘gods’ going after women(Indra was a master in
this!) but they are all excused and these things are taken casually. After all,
it is a Man’s world!
From mythologies to movies, the stories are the same
though the scripts are different. Women are worshipped, glorified and put on a
pedestal but when it comes to her personal choices, feelings and sensibilities,
she will have none and will be at the mercy of the man and on his whims and
fancies.
Things of course are changing but not the mindset!
Somehow, this song from Killer (1992) gives me an image of an independent woman who has the
gumption and boldness to describe her feelings and who has no hesitation in
sharing her needs and wants.
‘Piliche
Kuhu Kuhu’ has a very different start. In fact, it
even sounds eerie. But after that humming by Janaki which is followed by the horns, it sounds very different.
Probably, there is a reason for this too.
The Pallavi
starts without any percussion. The bass guitar and the rhythm pad take over from
the second line backing the vocals (Janaki)
like disciplined soldiers.
Guitar
with the phaser gives a sound in the
beginning of the first interlude,
which at best can be described as ‘sensuous’. The strings take over even while that guitar sound continues in the background. There are of course two
sets of strings playing two sets of
melodies. It is a very short WCM
piece which would make any western music composer proud.
The piece
without a doubt goes deep into one’s heart and kindles emotions hitherto not
felt.
The lines in the CharaNams
are romantically sensuous not least because of the languorous way it has been
constructed and rendered.
The keys
in the second interlude, poke one’s
senses albeit in a positive way with the strings
sounding mellow and the bass guitar resonating in its own way.
Erotic and Sensuous.. Distinct and Charming.. Unique
and Different..
And aren’t these enough to drive away the
deep-seated patriarchy?
Hope the ‘SAB’s
and the Jamadagnis are listening!
